The next day, Mina couldn't seem to shake the lingering sensations from the night before. She had tried to distract herself with training, but her thoughts kept drifting back to that moment—the heat, the desire, and the way her body had betrayed her. It was impossible to focus on anything else.
As she walked through the halls of U.A., she caught sight of Kaito again. His usual confident, calm demeanor was back, and there was no sign of anything that had happened between them.
Mina quickly turned her head away, trying to act normal, but her heartbeat quickened just from the brief glance. *No way. You're just being ridiculous, she told herself. It was just a handshake. You've had weirder moments.*
She tried to push the thoughts aside, focusing on the upcoming training session. The students were about to go through a special mock battle, with Aizawa-sensei overseeing the event. A perfect distraction to get her mind off… everything.
As the class gathered in the training room, Kaito joined her, flashing her a friendly smile. It was like nothing had changed. She quickly nodded back, offering her own smile, though it felt tight, forced. The air between them seemed normal, but Mina couldn't help but feel the weight of what had happened.
Aizawa-sensei gave the team assignments, and as the mock battle began, Mina threw herself into it, determined to prove herself. She fought with all the energy she had, but there was something in the back of her mind that kept pulling her focus away, something that had nothing to do with strategy or tactics.
*Get it together, Mina!* She berated herself as she used her acid to create distractions for the opposing team. *Focus!*
But even amidst the chaos of the battle, every time she glanced at Kaito, her thoughts returned to that moment in her room. The way her body had responded, the way her breath had quickened. She could still feel the echoes of that heat inside her, just beneath the surface, waiting to rise again.
*I can't be thinking about this right now!* She scolded herself again, trying to concentrate on the battle. But as the fight continued, her eyes found Kaito's once more.
The moment Kaito's gaze met hers, Mina felt her body react before her mind could catch up. Her breath caught in her throat, and a strange heat rushed through her, filling her chest, her limbs. It was almost suffocating. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears, and before she realized what was happening, her legs gave way beneath her. She collapsed to her knees, struggling to breathe, her vision blurred as the intensity of the sensation overwhelmed her.
"Mina!" Several voices shouted in unison, and she felt hands on her shoulders, pulling her upright.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Jiro's voice was full of concern as she knelt beside Mina, placing a hand on her forehead. "You're burning up!"
"Is she okay?" Uraraka asked, looking down at Mina with wide, worried eyes.
Mina's head spun as the heat in her body intensified. She felt trapped by the flood of emotions surging through her, and no matter how hard she tried to focus, her thoughts kept circling back to Kaito. The way he had looked at her, the way his presence seemed to linger even when he wasn't directly near her.
"I… I don't know," Mina gasped, struggling to find her voice. "I'm fine… I just…" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. How could she explain this? How could she explain what was happening to her body, when she herself didn't understand it fully?
Mina felt embarrassed, her cheeks flushed with both the lingering effects of her emotions and the humiliation of collapsing in front of everyone. Her classmates were looking at her with varying expressions—concern, confusion, and even a little frustration.
"We need to get her inside," Momo said, her voice calm but insistent. "She might be suffering from heatstroke or something. Let's get her to the nurse's office."
"No! I just want to rest a bit in my room" she said, she couldn't go to the nurse because they would find out what's happening.
Mina's voice was shaky as she tried to push herself up, but her legs felt like jelly beneath her. The heat in her body only intensified the moment she tried to move. She closed her eyes, biting her lip, hoping the dizziness would subside.
"Are you sure, Mina?" Uraraka asked, her brow furrowed in concern. "You look really pale. We can help you."
"No, it's just... I need to rest a bit, in my room," Mina said quickly, trying to sound convincing. "It's just a little dizzy spell. I'll be fine."
Momo gave her a wary look. "You're still burning up, though. It's probably better to get you checked out."
"I don't want to be checked out," Mina snapped, a little more forcefully than she intended. She flinched at the sharpness in her voice, but she quickly added, "Please, I'll just go back to my room. I'll be okay."
Kirishima glanced between the girls, looking unsure. "Maybe... Maybe she should take a break in her room," he suggested. "It's just the heat, right?"
Aizawa-sensei, who had been quietly observing the situation from a distance, walked over. His eyes narrowed slightly as he took in Mina's flushed face and the sweat beading on her forehead. "Fine. Get her back to her room. But you're not training for the rest of the day."
Mina didn't have the energy to argue anymore. She just nodded, feeling a pang of frustration, but grateful that he hadn't insisted on the nurse's office. She still couldn't understand why her body was reacting this way, and the last thing she wanted was for anyone to know.
As the group walked her back toward the dorms, the tension in her chest didn't let up. Her thoughts kept spinning, circling back to Kaito—his smile, his presence.* Why can't I stop thinking about him?*
Once they reached the dorm, Mina quickly excused herself and headed straight for her room. She could hear Uraraka and the others calling after her, but she ignored them. She just needed to get away. She needed to calm down, to understand what was happening to her, before anyone else noticed.
Slamming the door behind her, Mina leaned against it, taking several deep breaths, trying to push the burning sensation out of her body. *This has to stop, she thought, pacing the length of her room. I can't keep feeling this way. It's just a damn handshake!*
But her body wasn't listening. Her mind raced as the image of Kaito flashed before her once more. She could still feel the warmth of his touch, the heat of the moment, everything that had caused this strange reaction.
She slowly put her hands inside her pants, and let out a shaky breath. And the floor under where she was sitting was drenched, it was not sweat or water and she knew that she couldn't control anymore and pushed her middle finger inside and motioned up and down.